Try Me
by Lady Recondite
Summary: Drawing back, Madara declared simply with a sneer garnishing his face, "You can't beat me." A game of cat mouse suddenly turns deadly. "Try me," Itachi hissed. Done fore Yuna2025 for her picture on DA "Try Me."


**Try Me**

"_Real love isn't blind. It sees, sees everything but loves anyway." -Touched_

Quick breaths, release, step forward, slash, step back, and repeat. It was a mantra inside his head, not relenting until his skills of accuracy were sharp and honed to their fullest peak. He finally stepped back to examine his work and was quite pleased with himself. He already perfected this, but his anger towards his sensei resurfaced, causing him to behave in an abrupt livid manner. The puppet he was destroying had similar attributes to his sensei, causing him to want to be-head the nasty thing. As he raised his katana for a final blow, he stopped, chiding himself to stop acting like a child.

He sighed deeply and shifted the katana in his hands to place back in its sheath, when a strong chakra spiked dangerously. Pausing in his actions, Itachi peered beside him into the dark looming forest. He cocked his head to the side and uttered, "Sensei." The single word held so much hate with a hint of curiosity.

Said man stepped from the safe shadows of the forest to grin childishly at his student. "Why hello Itachi-kun," the man spoke predatorily. "I was just taking a stroll when I noticed you practicing…such a lovely technique."

Itachi made no move to acknowledge that sentence, but pressed on to different matters. "I'm assuming you didn't come here to have a cup of tea?" Itachi spoke with lividness.

His sensei chuckled darkly before circling his precious student with wanton need. "My dear Itachi, did I have to come here for a purpose? I couldn't just see my lovely student perform in this…sweltering heat? And my…so much baggy clothes on…"

Itachi looked nonplussed. "Madara." The man just pouted and stopped circling his prey.

"You are absolutely no fun, Itachi-kun." Itachi just sighed wearily and twirled his katana precariously on the palm of his hand. It was an act of defiance in Madara's eyes. He was becoming comfortable and independent around him. It would simply not do.

"I suppose—" Itachi began, but had to dodge quickly as a meager kunai was thrown his way. Irritated, Itachi was about to ask what the hell he was doing when he was thrown towards the nearest stonewall. His back crashed against it, and instantly he raised his katana to protect himself.

Madara flickered into view less than a foot away from him, effectively cornering him. "My, my, Itachi. So lovely with your back flush up against the wall…the heat rising to your cheeks, the blood coursing through your veins. And this silly katana…" Madara ran his finger down the sharp edge, wounding himself. Itachi observed in docile enthrallment as his sensei licked the cut spotless, but reprimanded himself, and seized his katana tighter.

Madara nonchalantly stroked Itachi's face, causing him to gnash his teeth and initiate his Sharingan. Drawing back, Madara declared simply with a sneer garnishing his face, "You can't beat me."

_ "Try me," _Itachi hissed. He compelled his katana toward the older male, who in turn vanished, leaving his sinister chuckle to drift to Itachi's ears. Pressing forward, Itachi calculated the precise vastness to the first tree where he could scrutinize the vicinity to find his sensei.

Madara's chakra flared wildly to let his student distinguish where he was located, and with any luck he would fall for it. A few seconds soon after, Itachi had materialized ten feet from him, performing a series of hand seals in which Madara followed without difficulty.

Grinning with exuberance, he awaited assail. "Fire Release: Phoenix Immortal Fire Technique!" Itachi muttered and spat a sequence of fireballs containing shuriken toward his master.

Madara still had the grin plastered onto his face as he cautiously eluded the fireballs whilst darting toward his student. A free lone fireball scorched his sleeve while he was evading two others, and he grunted with annoyance.

"That was my favorite shirt, 'Tachi-kun!" Madara whined childishly. He sulked and crossed his arms, allowing the younger Sharingan user to strike. If Madara knew his student, the subsequent attack would be close range before he would subtly leap away.

As they came together savagely, Madara briefly wondered why Itachi had yet to use his katana that was held flaccidly in his hand. He smirked, no matter, he would just sever Itachi's chakra that was ominously building up behind his eyes.

Realization instantly dawned on him. Itachi _was _trying to slaughter him. This wasn't a habitual game, or a straightforward practice, but another massacre. He was building the chakra to annihilate him with his eyes.

Madara scowled, and for the single instant he was thinking, the katana had mounted against his throat and was pressing forward precariously. He flew back, trying to get away from the close proximity, and cursed under his breath. He was virtually decapitated by that brat.

"You're getting too old, Sensei." Itachi spoke with indifference. Inside, he felt his rage grow to this man who wanted to obliterate the world. He wasn't a killer, but he couldn't avoid this fight now. He had to annihilate him before he destroyed numerous of innocent lives…including Sasuke's. He hardened at that thought.

"I'm not getting old," Madara protested with anger flaring wildly in his eyes. "And you will die by my hands." He stated before flickering out of view.

Itachi heaved a deep sigh before concentrating on his next assail. He would linger until Madara would emerge again to strike him down. It was all down to a final foreboding blow, since Madara was never one to play with something for very long.

Soon, Itachi felt Madara materialize from behind. Itachi knew he would head for his back to dissolve his main chakra point that would exterminate him. As the tip of his calloused finger hit the spot and severed all chakra, Itachi dispersed into a flock of crows, much to his master's surprise.

Before Madara was able to turn around, an onyx flame attached itself to his pant leg and was diffusing rapidly. Madara instantaneously tore off his pants to avoid being smoldered by Amaterasu. How could he have been effortlessly fooled? He should have known to keep a close eye on his student, or else he wouldn't be in this situation, feeling extremely ridiculous fighting in only his underclothes.

In his own musings, Madara realized the scorching onyx flames were leisurely bearing towards him after finishing his pants. He hastily stepped back, only to run into his student. The katana was slid in front of his neck once again, effectively holding him in place.

"You don't want to do this," Madara told him as a matter of fact. Itachi chuckled darkly, long gone and succumbed to fury to care what he was doing. "As a matter of fact, _Sensei_, yes I do. I can't let you harm Sasuke any further." Itachi contradicted with abhorrence.

The black flames were slowly inching toward him; ready to consume the object they had previously been directed at. Out of sheer apprehension, Madara elbowed Itachi to get away, causing Itachi to detonate. _Damn explosive clone! _The vigor of the explosion launched him right into the waiting path of Amaterasu.

Madara transported his body to another position, and with him, a bit of Amaterasu travelled with. It was consuming his shirt, and frenetically Madara tugged off the offending fabric, ignoring his dignity. Half naked and furious, he let his chakra blaze. He would end this pointless game immediately.

He was nearly incinerated three times, and decapitated two times, and he wouldn't stand for it. His apprentice had to be destroyed. He could still use Sasuke since Itachi would be of no help. Sooner than he would have liked, his apprentice appeared in all his glory. Itachi smirked with arrogance, twirling his katana once more.

So the brat thought he had won. "You will never win against me, Itachi." Itachi said nothing, and merely blinked, inspecting him. Abruptly, Madara was acutely aware of his surroundings; the blood that continued to surge out of Itachi's right eye, and the burning sensation slinking up his right foot.

No matter what, the Amaterasu was consuming him. Madara growled in pain as he stumbled backwards. He fell down onto the muddy earth, staring at his foot with apprehension. He blinked and looked up at his student that was crouching over him.

Itachi's soft lips brushed against his in a silent kiss. "Goodbye, Madara." Itachi said with some trepidation. Madara wouldn't be able to teach him the rest of the Uchiha Clan wonders and history, but at the moment, he didn't care, he felt happiness. He was able to kill the man who would torture so many…

Madara couldn't believe it. He didn't want his life to finish this way! He needed to exterminate Konoha! He wanted to exact his revenge on Hashirama and the rest of them for tossing him away as if he was nobody. As he glanced up at Itachi, he realized he was able to perform one last ploy.

Madara performed hand signs, making Itachi tense with anticipation, and he sneered. "You may have won this little battle, but you haven't won the war, Itachi." Madara told him knowingly with a last haunting laugh before Amaterasu forever burned him. There was nothing left of Madara, Itachi noted with a grimace, but he was free, and so was the rest of the Akatsuki.

Itachi sighed with relief and closed his eyes that were continuing to pain him. An ache in his gut was wrenching him to the ground. He gasped loudly at how painful it was. Doubling over, Itachi squeezed his eyes closed, feeling they were burning as well.

He couldn't stop this pain he was feeling! Both of his eyes were bleeding now, and with that came terror. His eyes were changing to an Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan, and the pain in his gut refused to cease until the transformation was absolute.

"The last trick Madara had done…" Itachi began with revulsion, as he came to realize what had happened. "H-he…" Itachi stammered, and doubled over again in pain. Madara's fleeting laugh echoed in his head as he buried his face into the muddy earth.

_"You may have won this little battle, but you haven't won the war, Itachi."_

Madara had sealed himself away inside Itachi.

マツ

**Done for Deviant Yuna2025 for her work, 'Try Me'.**

"**Try Me" Picture © Yuna2025**

**Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto**

**Poem © Touched**


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